Seeing these comments, Lu Qingyuan had mixed emotions.

“In fact, if you don’t get along today,” Grandma Lu said after finishing her mung bean cake. She drank the remaining water in her cup, handed it to Lu Qingyuan, and continued, “I would have forced you to keep meeting with that boy from the Tan family.”

Lu Qingyuan, who had just taken the cup and placed it on the cabinet, froze.

【Why? Her own granddaughter thinks their families aren’t a good match. Why would she still insist on this?】

【Exactly. Even if she’s her real grandmother, she shouldn’t force her into this.】

【So the granddaughter’s happiness doesn’t matter, as long as she gets married?】

【Sigh, this is just like how parents nowadays keep pushing their children into marriage, always saying things like ‘my duty is done.’】

Grandma Lu straightened herself up and sat a little taller. She took Lu Qingyuan’s hand and spoke softly.

“Do you know why?”

“I do.” Lu Qingyuan’s voice was a little dry.

“Because, in the matter of Comrade Tan, I were the one who believed our families weren’t a good match. But whether a couple can get along or not, you only find out after you marry them.”

“Yes, that’s exactly what I thought,” Grandma Lu gently patted the back of her hand.

“Child, no matter how tough life is, nothing is harder than going hungry. No matter what, the Tan family’s conditions are stable. You wouldn’t have to starve. To me, that’s good enough.”

“But now that you’re engaged, I won’t think about the Tan family anymore.”

Grandma Lu’s eyes welled up with tears as she gazed at Lu Qingyuan.

“When you left this morning, I kept thinking about this. It wasn’t until your Fifth Aunt came back and said that everything was settled that I finally felt at ease.”

Lu Qingyuan sat by the bed and slowly lay down, resting her head on her grandmother’s lap. She clasped Grandma Lu’s aged, rough hands tightly against her chest.

“Grandma… trust me. I will live a good life. Even if it’s not with the Tan family, I’ll still be fine.”

“I know, I know…”

Grandma Lu closed her eyes. What she feared the most was closing her eyes for good before her granddaughter had a secure future. Their family had always pampered her, so if she were left to choose on her own, she would likely end up with someone less well-off than the Tan family.

Fortunately, the young man from the Shu family seemed like a good match, and her granddaughter liked him.

Otherwise, she really would have thickened her skin and asked the fifth son’s wife to reach out to the Tan family again.

【Honestly, I still don’t understand Grandma’s logic.】

【It’s like how parents always prioritize financial security over love when choosing for their children.】

【Exactly. When I was young, I chased after love. But now that my own child is running toward love without thinking about financial stability, I feel even more anxious than my parents did back then.】

【Grandma Lu valued the Tan family’s financial stability. She didn’t know that Tan Chang’an was unreliable. She just wanted to give Qingyuan the best choice before she passed.】

【Ha! And in the end, it almost ruined Qingyuan’s life. When Qingyuan wanted a divorce, Tan Chang’an’s father even got her eldest brother fired to threaten her! Ugh, just thinking about it makes me furious!】

Hearing Grandma’s steady breathing, Lu Qingyuan knew she had fallen asleep. She carefully sat up and saw the words floating above Grandma Lu’s head.

Without making a sound, she helped her lie down properly and gently tucked the blanket around her.

Looking at her grandmother’s aged face and hair that had turned completely white at some point, Lu Qingyuan’s nose stung. She quickly turned her head toward the window.

The wooden window was propped open halfway, letting a soft breeze into the room.

The faint scent of herbal medicine lingered in the air. Ever since Grandma had fallen ill, the room had always carried the smell of medicine.

Lu Qingyuan thought about all the days she had spent by Grandma’s side. Silent tears rolled down her pale cheeks.

She sat by the bed, her back turned slightly toward the sleeping elderly woman. Without a sound, she wept.

An indescribable emotion wrapped around her, and her usually bright and lively face was now half-shrouded in shadow, the other half illuminated by the golden sunlight streaming through the wooden window.

【She looks so broken…】

【Well, Grandma doesn’t have much time left. And she’s the one who raised Qingyuan. It makes sense.】

【I was raised by my grandparents too. When they passed, I didn’t feel much at first. But one day, I ate a dish that tasted just like my grandpa and grandma’s cooking, and suddenly, the tears wouldn’t stop. My chest hurt so much. I was completely overwhelmed…】

[Livestream ended. You have gained 68 new followers. Your total follower count is now 96. Keep up the good work, Host.]

The soft mechanical voice gradually calmed Lu Qingyuan down. She stood up, picked up the empty bowl, and left the room.

When she reached the kitchen, she took out a handkerchief, wiped her face clean, and washed the bowl. After that, she returned to her room, stood by the wooden window, and inhaled the fragrance of the gardenias outside. Only when her emotions were completely settled did she step out into the courtyard.

“Aunt, I want more mung bean cake,” Lusheng said, his little face flushed red as he clung to her arm.

The little one’s soft body leaned against her, carrying a faint milky fragrance.

“Alright, go call your brother, wash your hands, and let’s eat together.”

Lu Qingyuan held him close and kissed his chubby little face before speaking softly.

“Thank you, Aunt,” Lusheng cupped his small face, then leaned in to plant a kiss on Lu Qingyuan’s fair cheek before running off to the backyard to call Jiasheng.

After handing each of them a piece of mung bean cake, Lu Qingyuan smiled and asked, “Who cooked lunch today?”

“Grandma came back and made it,” Jiasheng nibbled on his cake, taking small bites. “Grandma said we’ll have mixed grain porridge tonight.”

“Yes,” Lusheng nodded his little head. “Corn porridge.”

“Got it.”

After they finished eating, Lu Qingyuan wrung out a towel and wiped their little faces. “Go play now, but check in on Great-Grandma from time to time. If anything happens, call me, alright? I’ll be in the vegetable garden.”

The two brothers happily agreed.

Lu Qingyuan hoisted a hoe onto her shoulder and headed for the vegetable garden.

At the beginning of spring, Mother Lu and Fifth Aunt had planted some vegetable seedlings. After a few spring rains, weeds had started to sprout all over the small plot, so Lu Qingyuan was going over to clear them out.

She was focused on her work and had no idea that Fifth Aunt’s daughter, Lu Yanyan, was currently sitting inside her own house, sometimes lowering her head to stare at her hands, other times touching her youthful face in excitement.

“What’s wrong with you?”

Fifth Aunt had just taken down her hoe, ready to head to the fields, when she saw her daughter caressing her own face with an elated expression.

“Mother, Mother!”

Lu Yanyan suddenly rushed forward and hugged her mother—the woman who, in her memories, should have been much older. Tears streamed down her face, soaking through Fifth Aunt’s clothes.

“Yanyan, what’s gotten into you?”

“Nothing, I just really missed you,” Lu Yanyan could hardly believe she had returned to when she was sixteen.

Her previous life had been full of suffering.

She had refused to listen to her parents’ advice and insisted on marrying Yang Sanwa, a sweet-talking man from the neighboring village. In the end, she spent her whole life in poverty and misery, and when she fell ill, they had no money for treatment. That was how she died.

But now, she had been reborn!

She lifted her head to look at her mother, who was right in front of her. She felt that, in her youth, she had been utterly foolish. If she had listened to her mother back then, would she have ended up suffering so much?

Suddenly, Lu Yanyan thought of her cousin, Lu Qingyuan.

Gripping her worried mother’s hands, she anxiously asked, “Mother, has Lu Qingyuan’s marriage been settled?”

“Are you really okay?”

Fifth Aunt found it odd that she had been crying moments ago and was now asking about Lu Qingyuan. It made her feel both concerned and puzzled.

“I’m fine. I just had a nightmare,” Lu Yanyan brushed it off impatiently. “Mother, just tell me! Did Lu Qingyuan end up with the Tan family?”

“No, I told you yesterday, didn’t I?”

Fifth Aunt sighed and reached up to wipe her daughter’s tears.

“You always called her Sister Qingyuan before. Why are you suddenly calling her by name? She’s your elder cousin; it’s rude not to address her properly.”

But Lu Yanyan wasn’t listening to anything else.

All she heard was: It didn’t happen. She didn’t end up with Tan Chang’an.

But then she quickly grew anxious again—because in her past life, it hadn’t worked out at first either, but later, they did get together. She even married him!

It was considered a high-status marriage. Eventually, Lu Qingyuan became the richest woman in the country, and it was all thanks to the support of the Tan family!

“But even though the Tan family match didn’t work out, she’s agreed to another one. The groom’s family is coming over the day after tomorrow for an official visit. It’s a good thing, really. I think Shu Beiqiu is a better match for your cousin than Tan Chang’an,” Fifth Aunt added.

“What?! Shu Beiqiu? Lu Qingyuan and Shu Beiqiu are engaged?!”

Lu Yanyan’s loud reaction made Fifth Aunt frown with worry. She reached out to touch her daughter’s forehead, only to find it covered in cold sweat.

“Oh my, are you sure you’re okay? Why are you sweating so much? Sit down, I’ll get you some sugar water.”

Fifth Aunt hurriedly put down her hoe and rushed to the kitchen.

Her mother-in-law was sitting inside and immediately snapped, “What are you giving sugar water to a girl for? Save it for my grandson!”

Fifth Aunt shot back, “And what’s wrong with a girl? You and I were girls once too!”

“How dare you talk back to your mother-in-law? Oh, the suffering I endure! How did I end up with such a disrespectful daughter-in-law?!”

“And how did I end up with such a lousy husband? If he weren’t so useless, do you think he could’ve married me?”

Fifth Aunt sneered.

Hearing the shouting between her mother and grandmother, Lu Yanyan took a deep breath.

Lu Qingyuan and Tan Chang’an didn’t get together—but she ended up with Shu Beiqiu instead?

She knew who Shu Beiqiu was. In her past life, he had been Lu Qingyuan’s good friend. He never married. When people asked him why, he always said the girl he loved had already married someone else. That he had missed his chance.

But now, they had actually gotten engaged?

This was unexpected.

But to her, this was a good thing.

Lu Yanyan swallowed hard. In her past life, the person she had envied most was her cousin.

Tan Chang’an was incredible—handsome, well-educated, from a good family, and he treated her cousin so well.

She had often wondered, if she hadn’t been involved with Yang Sanwa, even if she couldn’t have found someone as good as Tan Chang’an, she still could have married well, right?

Since fate had given her another chance, and since her cousin and Tan Chang’an weren’t engaged yet, wasn’t this her opportunity?

Now, she just needed to figure out one thing—had her cousin been reborn too?

Fifth Aunt returned with the sugar water, and Lu Yanyan drank it in a few gulps. Then she got up and, without hesitation, ran outside.

“I’m going to find Sister Qingyuan!” she called over her shoulder.

Fifth Aunt watched her daughter’s energetic figure disappear down the path and muttered, “She must be fine now, right?”